Road to the final

UEFA Women's EURO 2013 comprises of a preliminary round, qualifying group stage, play-offs and 12-team final tournament played in Sweden.

Preliminary roundTwo groups of four teams are played as one-venue mini-tournaments between 3 and 8 March 2011. The group winners progress to the qualifying round.

Qualifying group stageThe two preliminary round winners join the 36 highest-ranked qualifying contenders in four groups of five teams and three of six played on a home-and-away basis between 17 September 2011 and 19 September 2012. The group winners and best runners-up (counting results against the teams first, third, fourth and fifth in their section) progress to the final tournament, and the other six runners-up go to the play-offs.

Play-offsThe six teams will be drawn into three pairs for the two-legged play-offs on 20/21 and 24/25 October 2012. The three nations with the highest coefficients are seeded and at home in the second leg. The three winners qualify for the finals.

Final tournamentHosts Sweden will join the 11 qualifiers in the final tournament in July 2013. There will be three groups of four teams, with the top two from each section and the two best third-placed sides going into the quarter-finals, from when the competition is a straight knockout.

Further details, including the criteria for separating teams that finish level on points in a group, can be found in the official competition regulations.